The Path That You Take
by what's.originality
Summary: [ Based off of Ch. 416, the finale to the Tartarus Arc. What would have happened if had Jellal stayed for awhile and talked to Erza? All of the oneshot goodness ] uhH, like some angst and (just a little?) Erza OOC bc my baby has just been through some traumatizing events and she needs to vent. Definitely JellalxErza(JERZA).


**[** Based off of Ch. 416, the finale to the Tartarus Arc. What would have happened if had Jellal stayed for awhile and talked to Erza? **] **uhH, like some angst and (just a little?) Erza OOC bc my baby has just been through some traumatizing events and she needs to vent.

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"_Will I be able to trust people?"_

"_You'll be okay. Don't worry." _

The scarlet-haired woman looked up, bewildered, the all too familiar voice shattering her traumatizing recollections. A hooded figure stood before her, its back towards her. Erza quickly got to her feet, blinking off tears. She stared at the persona with a guarded expression, not saying a word.

"You know the weakness and strengths of man well enough," the man continued, warmth and reassurance laced underneath his words. "So continue on, into the path of light. Just as you've—"

"Jellal." Even with that one word, Erza's voice wavered. She didn't trust herself to say anything else, for her mind was still in a fragile state. Yet that name silenced the cloaked man, who now seemed immobilized by her voice. However, he still didn't turn to face her.

"Jellal, _please_," she tried again, disgusted her own voice. How pitiful and weak it sounded. She didn't know what else to say. What could she say? His name said it all. It carried the weight of her desires, her fears, her hopes, her everything. Could he not understand that?

Relievingly, the azure-haired man understood. He turned, though hesitantly, towards her.

"Erza…" Jellal responded, his voice barely audible, as if he had no right to utter her name. The woman regarded him, her brows knitted into a worrisome expression. She never truly knew what he was thinking. After all she had been through, she had found herself worrying for him instead.

The uncomfortable pair didn't make eye contact. Neither of them spoke. After several tense seconds, the scarlet-haired mage broke through the silence.

"Sit," she mumbled, her eyes studying the wind-blown grass. "Sit down with me."

The escaped convict looked taken aback. However, he obliged. The two sat down on the hill, awkwardly too far apart from the other. Erza sighed, bringing her hand up to brush away the stray strands of hair that fell by her eyes. Jellal sat criss-crossed, clasping his hands together, intent on studying them.

"What will you do?" The blue-haired man inquired, still refusing to make eye contact. "Now that the guild has disbanded?"

Erza scoffed at the question. "I'll do what I always do. I'm the Titania. I'll keep fighting."

The cloaked mage smiled at her response. "Of course you would. Keep fighting, remain in the light."

"Stop that." She clenched her fists, gritting her teeth. "Stop it. Stop inferring that you're some—some evil monster! You aren't! What do I have to do to make you believe it?"

Jellal jerked towards her, his expression pained. "No...there's nothing—I mean—"

"Is this our fate?" Erza whispered harshly, almost to herself rather than the other, "Are we bound to this? Meeting each other like this, only to be together for such little time, never again seeing each other for years? _Why?_" She buries her face into her own arms, her last words resolving into a quiet sob.

The young man shifted uncomfortably, desperately trying to find words to comfort the crying girl. His jaw clenched and could only drop his gaze back to the ground, helpless.

"Erza, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to be this way," Jellal struggled, repeatedly apologizing to his friend. "But this is my payment. This will be my redemption."

"You torture yourself, but it hurts _me_," Erza blurted out, now glaring at his hunched-over figure. "Don't you get it? I—I _miss _you! You're _never_ here! You're such an airheaded idiot, you and your _stupid, imaginary _fiancee—"

Without warning, the azure-haired wizard wraps his arms around the distraught Titania, burying his head into her shoulders, stunning her into silence. The man startles her even more when he chuckles, removing his stoic mask. Jellal lets go, and now, the pair was no more than a few inches away from each other, holding steady eye contact.

"I guess you knew, huh?" Jellal smiles slightly, abashed.

"How couldn't I? You were always such a bad liar." Erza smirked, crossing her arms. Then, the mage brought his hand up to her face, gently caressing her cheek, wiping her tears away. The scarlet-haired woman finally drops her gaze, her smile vanishing.

"I don't want you to leave."

"I don't want to either. But there's still so much for me to do. Zeref is out there, and I need to stop him."

"Then, at least let me come with."

Jellal frowned, pulling away from her. "I can't do that."

"That's not fair." Erza stood up once again, glowering down at the man.

Jellal followed suit and stood up as well. "Erza, please understand. We're on two different paths. I'm begging you, stay in the light. Crime Sorciere and I, we take the dark path. We are all following the path of redemption. You, Erza, are innocent and free. I want you to stay that way."

The scarlet-haired mage gives up, nodding numbly. "At least, promise me you'll stay safe. And come back once in awhile, alright?"

Jellal smiled, holding out his hand. "I promise I will. Hopefully, when we meet again, you'll shine so bright, it will be enough to purge me of my sins. Our paths will cross again; I don't doubt it."

Erza took his hand, pulling him into another warm embrace. She hugged him tightly, for she knew their paths wouldn't intersect for a long time. "Next time, when we meet again, I hope our paths don't just cross. They will _merge_, and that is my promise."

The blue-haired man returned the hug, before letting go. "See you around, Erza Scarlet."

Erza watched Jellal's figure retreat into the distance, and even as it did, she kept on staring into the horizon. This was okay. Little by little, healing a bit more each time. Now was not the time to admit anything. It was still too premature to do so. For now, she will keep walking into the light. Who knows, one day, the blue-haired dork might just catch up with her.

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**A/N: **Is it just me or is this "path of darkness" and "path of light" getting annoying? Maybe it's just my newfound obsession with this OTP. jUST GET TOGETHER AL READ Y JFC; It is literally almost canon. Holy crap please lord Jesus let it be.

Also also can Crime Sorciere just be a spinoff series already bc these dorks are hilarious k


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